Cheesecake Labs

Cheesecake Labs is a nearshore software development company founded in 2013 by veterans of Uber's earliest days. Based in Florianópolis, Brazil, with an office in San Francisco, the firm has built over 350 digital products for Fortune 500 companies and startups. The team works across AI strategy, data engineering, blockchain, mobile and web development, and product design. On Clutch, they're ranked #1 for software and AI services in Latin America and top 10 globally, with a 4.9/5 average client rating. They hold 85+ awards and certifications, including nine consecutive years as a Great Place to Work.

Services and capabilities

Cheesecake Labs operates across seven main service areas. AI Strategy & Development covers opportunity identification, feasibility assessment, roadmap planning, and production-grade AI application delivery—from LLM integration to custom model selection. Data Engineering helps companies migrate from legacy pipelines and disconnected spreadsheets to AI-ready architectures, including data migration, cost optimization, and governance work. Blockchain Solutions builds digital wallets (custodial and non-custodial), DeFi integrations, asset tokenization, and cross-chain messaging platforms.

On the product side, they offer Product Strategy (market research, user journey mapping, MVP specs, interactive prototypes, and roadmaps), UX/UI Design (information architecture, design systems, user testing, and visual design), and Mobile App Development for iOS, Android, and cross-platform using React Native, Flutter, and native technologies. Web App Development uses ReactJS and modern frameworks, paired with backend architecture and DevOps. All services connect to their Cloud & DevOps capabilities.

They work with specific platforms and technologies: Kubernetes (with custom metrics and Prometheus), Celery for task queuing, Stellar for blockchain solutions, Solana for NFT work, and Python tooling including the uv package manager. Case studies mention production deployments handling millions of events daily (4M+ for video surveillance) and serving 2k+ early-stage users in compressed timelines.

Notable work

Actual delivered projects span fintech, energy, blockchain, and consumer products. For Stellar Development Foundation, they built a global non-custodial USDC wallet for cross-border payments—described as the first implementation of its kind on the Stellar network, with multiple novel features. With AES (energy), they modernized a legacy platform for energy trading; a client noted the team "understood our business quickly" despite it being their first energy project. For FINN, they scaled a car subscription platform using low-code approaches; the VP of Operations stated "we're scaling our team much more efficiently in the US than in our Germany office" thanks to Cheesecake Labs' involvement.

Other engagements include a private AI notetaking platform for secure workflows, an AI-powered video surveillance system processing 4M+ events daily with smart search, a global e-commerce platform supporting 130+ countries, an NFT marketplace redesign, a white-label food delivery platform powering multiple brands, and a brain monitoring IoT platform. Clients quoted include Skyroam, Volo, Bemis Manufacturing, Tapcart, and Mercka. One founder called them "some of the most talented, professional, and honest people"; a CTO said "their work ethic has been unmatched."

How they work

Cheesecake Labs offers three engagement models: Software Outsourcing for end-to-end product delivery, Dedicated Teams as cross-functional squads aligned with your roadmap, and Staff Augmentation to add vetted talent. They operate as a fully remote nearshore team supported by in-person offices in Florianópolis and San Francisco for collaboration when needed. Budget expectations range from under $50k to $500k+. AI Strategy work, for instance, covers opportunity identification and prioritization, feasibility assessment (data quality, security, regulatory constraints, cost), architecture definition, and phased roadmaps with clear dependencies and milestones. Once a roadmap is validated, they transition into product design and implementation without handoff friction.

Team and credentials

Marcelo Gracietti is CEO; Douglas Gimli is COO. The leadership team includes engineering managers (Pitágoras Galiotto, Gabriel Soares, Danilo Silva, Matheus Fernandes), Head of Client Solutions (Filipe Moreira), and functional leaders in people, marketing, and finance. Specific team size is not disclosed, though they reference scaling operations across US and Brazil offices. The company holds ISO and other certifications (85+ total), maintains SOC 2 compliance, and has been certified as a Great Place to Work for nine consecutive years. They are AWS-ready and work with Shopify (as evidenced by Shopify App scaling to 1M+ users). Leadership and team bios note extensive experience in mobile, backend, and modern cloud infrastructure. All engagement is structured to align with US business hours despite being based in Brazil.